HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Superheroes deserve super affordable prices! Huntsville Animal Services (HAS) still needs adopters as the “Adoption League of Heroes” campaign continues and is calling on the public to take advantage of waived adoption fees now through Saturday, August. 27, 2022.
“This time of year is especially hard for shelters, and our facility is no exception,” said HAS Director Dr. Karen Sheppard. “Summer months bring tons of kittens, adult cats, barn cats, puppies and dogs of all breeds and ages. We need people to come adopt and give these animals second chances at good lives in permanent homes.”
Click here to see photos, ages and descriptions of available animals.
Adoption fees will be waived for most adult animals, though exclusions do apply.
All adoptable pets are vaccinated, spayed/neutered, microchipped and come with a City license and free bag of pet food. Those unable to adopt are asked to consider fostering an animal through the shelter’s foster program.
“Adopting and fostering truly does save lives, and that makes you a superhero in our community,” Sheppard said.
The shelter is located at 4950 Triana Boulevard SW, and open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Huntsville Animal Services (HAS) offers several types of foster home programs.
What does fostering a pet mean?
Fostering is opening your home to a shelter pet for a multitude of reasons:
- To allow the kitten or puppy to mature to an adoptable age (Example: A 1 ½ pound 6-week-old kitten needs to be fostered for an average of 2 -3 weeks)
- Giving a spot for a mother cat to give birth and raise her babies
- Helping a dog recover from an orthopedic surgery
- Giving the provided oral medications once or twice a day to a dog or cat recovering from a sickness
- Hand-raising or bottle feeding orphaned kittens or puppies
- Socializing a puppy or dog
Most shelter pets require 2-3 weeks of fostering, but some pets (like a pregnant cat or dog) require a longer period of fostering.
What kind of foster programs does HAS offer?
FOSTER TO ADOPT
The most common foster home program is called Foster to Adopt. This program allows you a 14-day trial period with the dog and is for someone interested in adopting an adult dog, but would like to ‘test drive’ the dog at home. Although this is a very successful program, HAS warns owners that all new pets should be given at least 3 months to settle into a new home and new routine. Some pets like puppies, kittens, small dogs and others may not be eligible for this program.
SLEEP-OVER
The newest foster home program is called a Sleep-Over. This program allows the fostering party to take home a pet for 1 to 4 nights. Upon returning the pet to the shelter, the fostering party will complete a form sharing all the information collected about the pet during their visit including information such as: did the pet like other pets, housebroken, tolerates cats, likes children, etc. This program helps HAS develop a profile for the shelter pet.
FOSTER TO REHOME
Another foster program called the Foster to Rehome program is for sick pets, aged pets, and underaged puppies and kittens. Additionally, sometimes a fostering party takes care of the dog until it becomes adopted. These volunteers take appealing photos of the pet inside a home and along with a narrative about the pet’s personality are submitted to be posted on the HAS Facebook page.
Fostering parties must be 21 years of age or older and provide proof of identification. If you lease/rent, landlord approval is required prior to fostering a pet. To become a foster parent, complete an application.
Call 256-883-3783, visit HuntsvilleAL.gov/Animal or check HAS out on Facebook to learn more.